Looks to me like the issue is team balance.
Tall backs: Tarrant, Gibcus, Balta, Miller, maybe add Nyuon as an up an coming tall back.
Mid backs: Grimes, Vlastuin, Broad
Small backs: D Rioli, Short, Baker, Ralphsmith, add in Stack and Mansell as fringe small defenders.
There's 10 defenders who played last night, add in Gibcus and we have half the side are defenders. No wonder they are trying to shift some into other positions, but I have to say, it isn't working. They're all defenders and best played in defence (Stack can possibly go forward, but is that his best position?).
Ok, let's attempt to move up the ground, if there is any room.
Centreline and Rovers: Cotchin, Prestia, Martin, Graham, Ross, Edwards, Dow, Bolton, Sonsie, with RCD not making it at the moment.
Wings: Pickett and McIntosh
Wings are fine, although I'd like to see Pickett play more in the middle. As for the middle it is a combo of older players declining at various rates and young players who are trying to reach AFL level, not all that successfully at the moment. Also, apart from being injured, Martin is getting older and playing more forward. Bolton is also more of a small forward but mids often also play forward. We need the younger players to get better, but we also need to be recruiting for the centreline.
Forwards, ok some issues here.
Tall forwards: Reiwoldt, Lynch, that's really it although Bauer is listed as a key forward, probably not quite tall enough at 192CM.
Mid size forwards: Cumberland - at 183cm he is clearly mid size.
Small forwards: MRJ, Aarts, Castagna, Parker.
Clearly a lot of issues here. Cumberland is great but his height is such he can't be a key forward and mid sized forward is a damned difficult role to play. But Cumberland does have a knack of getting to where the ball is about to be so could well succeed. Clearly we need key forwards and small forwards. Yes, our delivery forward is not good, but we don't have the forward structure to create enough space for forwards to present, and the issue is personnel. We need to be recruiting key forwards and small forwards. MRJ is fine and I reckon will develop. The mids can play forward and we can expect to see Martin and Bolton forward often. Castagna would need to change (learn to dispose of the ball) to be AFL level and Aarts just appears not to be AFL level.
Ruck: Nank and Soldo. Neither spectacular as tap rucks, but Soldo can do that reasonably well and Nank has other attributes. I really don't think we should be playing Nank at the moment, clearly too hampered by injury. Ryan is developing and looks like he could make it, maybe he needs some AFL games this year. Colina, we'll see, will take time. I reckon the only one there who could also play as an effective key forward is Ryan, maybe we pick him as a key forward with a little relief ruck up forward.
Couldn't work out where to put Lambert but I reckon he is, very sadly, beyond playing AFL with his hip injury. He is one of the few who really can play all over the ground.
So, my conclusion is that our list is a bit of a mess. This is not surprising with lower draft picks coming from being successful. While drafting should be best available, I would say if best available is a small back, then don't go there, we have too many. We need to be targetting needs - mids, key forwards and small forwards. Not easy positions to recruit for though.
Time to seriously look at list balance.
DS
